Basic Concepts
What is gentrification?
Urban redevelopment that displaces low-income residents.
Name one international organization involved in gentrification governance.
UN-Habitat or the World Bank.
What are the three dimensions of governance complexity?
Scale, diversity, and density.
What is one challenge of governance complexity in gentrification?
Power imbalances or lack of accountability.
What does GGC stand for?
Global Governance Complex.
Why is gentrification considered a governance problem?
Because it involves many actors with different interests and power
Which actors are part of the “global governance architecture”?
IGOs, national governments, city governments, private investors, NGOs.
What does “forum shopping” mean in this context?
When actors choose the institution that gives them the best advantage.
What is one opportunity that comes from having many actors involved?
Access to more resources, knowledge, and innovation.
What does the idea of a Global Governance Complex describe?
It describes how different international and transnational institutions overlap and work together on the same global issue.
What happens to low-income residents when gentrification occurs?
They are often forced to move out of their neighborhoods.
What kind of actors can be public, private, formal, or informal?
City governments, NGOs, companies, and community groups.
What does density mean in the GGC Cube?
How strongly the actors are connected through networks and shared ideas.
How do power asymmetries affect local communities?
Rich investors gain influence while poor communities lose voice.
According to Biermann, what makes global governance fragmented?
Too many public and private institutions with overlapping mandates.
How does globalization influence gentrification?
Through international capital and shared city models like “smart city.”
What is an example of a city or NGO role in this governance system?
Cities implement housing policy, NGOs protect community rights.
Why do many institutions make coordination difficult?
Because too many rules and interests make cooperation slow.
Give one example of a solution or innovation promoted by NGOs.
Community land trusts or social housing programs.
What are the three possible outcomes of fragmentation?
Conflict, coexistence, or cooperation.
How does gentrification connect the local and the global levels?
Local housing changes are influenced by global markets, international banks, and global urban agendas like the SDGs.
How do private investors and international banks influence local housing policies?
They provide funding and investment that often prioritize profit over social inclusion, shaping city development decisions
What is the goal of the Global Governance Complexity Cube?
To analyze how many actors there are, how diverse they are, and how connected they are, to understand if cooperation or conflict happens.
How can global norms like SDG 11 help reduce gentrification’s negative effects?
They set international principles for inclusive, sustainable cities and give communities tools to demand fair development.
What determines whether governance in gentrification is fair or unfair?
The balance of power, coordination among actors, and how strong the norms protecting vulnerable people are.